Nashville sues Tennessee over K-12 funding

September 2, 2016

Nashville is suing the state over what it says is inadequate funding of public education, in violation of the Tennessee Constitution.

Shelby County and a cluster of seven counties that includes Hamilton have each filed lawsuits over the state’s funding of the Basic Education Program, or BEP. That’s the method the state uses to meet its constitutional obligation to provide free K-12 public education.

According to the Nashville lawsuit filed Thursday, lawmakers have not provided enough money for the school system to hire the legally required number of teachers and translators for its English language learners.

According to the suit, Nashville has the highest number of students who come from a non-English language background in the state. They make up about a quarter of total Metro Nashville Public School students.